DIRECTORS

Welcome DIRECTORS!

Contact us for a consult. Click on CONTACT US.

Send in your casting announcement. Click on SUBMIT A CASTING.

Actors want to know you are professional. They need to know they can trust you. If your project is a copy, credit, meals project, actors need to know the footage you will be “paying them” will be usable, and therefore shot well, lit well, with perfect sound and great editing. Please get it to them as soon as possible, on the shoot day is best.

And please conduct your auditions with accepted industry standards. If you don’t know what the industry standards are, get my book from the publisher (Routledge, or Amazon

WHAT’S NOT FREE
We work for hire on contract to cast your project. Click on THAT’S A WRAP for our track record and a look at what we can do for you. We work on a sliding fee scale based on low to intermediate indie budgets. We require 50% up front payment of the estimate, 25% at callbacks and the final 25% at deliver of confirmations and contacts.

CAST IT YOURSELF
Get the book! It is chock full of useful information and resources on the industry standards, how to run professional audition sessions and where to look. Visit the GET THE BOOK link above to read more. Order today.

HELPFUL TID BITS

DO EXPECT ACTORS TO ARRIVE WITH A HEADSHOT.

DO EXPECT ACTORS TO BE PREPARED AND ON TIME.

DON’T ASK ACTORS TO REMOVE CLOTHING AT AN AUDITION.

DON’T ASK ACTORS TO SIGN RELEASE FORMS FOR AUDITION FOOTAGE.

REMEMBER: IT’S A MOVIE.

IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE FUN.

LIGHTEN UP! IT’S A SCREEN P l a y, after all.

A FEW STANDARDS

When you’re not paying actors money: COPY, CREDIT MEALS also includes SUPPLIES, GAS AND BRIDGE TOLLS and PARKING.

Remember your manners: Thank people for their time and efforts.Be polite and considerate of performers’ time.

Be professional – Auditions are held in studios, hotel conference rooms, rehearsal halls, etc. They are not held in private homes, the backyard, your garage, or in private hotel rooms.

Stay on time by not overbooking your schedule – If you need 10 minutes with each actor, then that is 6 actors per hour. Do the math.

Give clear directions to your audition location.

Re-confirm auditions 24 hours in advance.

Email scripts in PDF format, in advance if you want actors to do their best. Consider requiring a short monologue.

Give specific directions. Vague directions lead to vague results and wasted time and you won’t see what you need to see to make the best casting decisions.

3 thoughts on “DIRECTORS”

This letter from a BACN subscriber -
Thought you might get a kick out of this. I had an audition scheduled for today at 2:00. They just sent out this email yesterday afternoon. Thank GOODness I checked my email right before trekking to Berkeley on the Bart, I called and canceled my slot. No way is someone going to make a Mockumentary out of my audition, and I wouldn’t trust them w/ or w/o a signed release that it wouldn’t be used. All of that aside, what I’m really sending this for, is the ‘release’ the actors are requested to sign – it’s pretty different!
Enjoy. And thanks BACN for keeping me busy.

THE SCOOP ON RELEASE FORMS -WHY WE DON’T SIGN AT AUDITIONS..
by Hester Schell

OK, this issue is really…really….burning me up. Any filmmaker asking for a rights release for audition footage is not operating under standard professional practices. I tell actors to hit the door. Run.

Please folks, the only way to stop inexperienced and unknowing filmmakers from insisting you sign a release at the audition is not to sign them. IF YOU GET THE PART, yes, you will need to sign a release and that is standard. Filmmakers do not have any right to audition footage, which is usually low quality, poorly lit, and not usable in a final cut. Audition footage has one purpose: to further evaluate you, on camera, for suitability for a specific part. If an filmmaker wishes to include audition footage in the final cut, then IT IS NOT AUDITION FOOTAGE. It becomes performance footage and the audition is NOT an audition, but in fact, a SHOOT DATE. If it is a shoot date, then you would have your name in the credits, and be compensated with a payroll check, or in whatever manner has been previously negotiated, such as copy, credit, meals, parking, dry cleaning, bridge tolls, supplies, etc.

Since I’ve been on this story, I’ve been able to track down how this practice started. It is something like this: Back in the early days of Music Television (MTV), which was primarily non-union, musicians and filmmakers were fleshing out a new entertainment form. They would have open calls. In most cases just about everyone who showed up would be in the audience for that particular band to help fill up the screen with happy, dedicated fans, to help sell the band to the record companies..”Look at all these loyal, screaming fans…who just LOVE this band.” So, at the audition, they would take care of what would become necessary paperwork so they could move people right onto the set for the music video. So many music videos have been done over the years, that filmmakers – who come from a music video background – seem to think this is the way it is done. It is not and especially not in narrative fiction features.

Auditions are not final character preparations anyway. You haven’t had the benefit of any rehearsals with the director to flesh out fully realized character choices. You haven’t had the benefit of rehearsals with any of the actors you would be performing with.

Here’s a suggestion on how to handle the situation:
Simply inform the individual in a pleasant manner that should you get the part you will be delighted to sign the rights release at that time, as required and customary.

Or, you might try this tack:
“Wow, I’m so flattered you think my audition is performance worthy. Thank you so much. Does that mean I have the part?”

Or try this one:
” Oh, I’m so sorry, I thought this was an audition. I didn’t know this was the shoot date.” Maybe they’ll mention a call back or when the casting will be complete. Then you can respond with, “Let me know when I’m cast, and I’ll sign the release for the character’s footage then. Thank you so much. I’m flattered.”

The same goes for social security numbers. Do not give anyone your social security number. The ONLY place you need to be putting this number is on payroll forms for the IRS. If you are not receiving pay, then you don’t need to fill out W-4 and will not receive a W-2 at tax time. Also, do not give out your home address. Use your email address and phone number. Watch your belongings and tell someone where you are going.